803 KAR 2:110. Employer and employee representatives

      Section 1. Representatives of Employers and Employees. (1) Compliance safety and health officers shall be in charge of inspections and questioning of persons. A representative of the employer and a representative authorized by his employees shall be given an opportunity to accompany the compliance safety and health officer. The compliance safety and health officer may permit additional employer representatives and additional representatives authorized by employees to accompany him where he determines that such additional representatives will further aid the inspection. A different employer and employee representative may accompany the compliance safety and health officer during each different phase of an inspection if this will not interfere with the conduct of the inspection.

      (2) Compliance safety and health officers shall have authority to resolve all disputes as to who is the representative authorized by the employer and employees for the purpose of this section. If there is no authorized representative of employees, or if the compliance safety and health officer is unable to determine with reasonable certainty who is such representative, he shall consult with a reasonable number of employees concerning matters of safety and health in the workplace.

      (3) The representative(s) authorized by employees shall be an employee(s) of the employer. However, if in the judgment of the compliance safety and health officer, good cause has been shown why accompaniment by a third party who is not an employee of the employer (such as an industrial hygienist or a safety engineer) is reasonably necessary to the conduct of an effective and thorough physical inspection of the workplace, such third party may accompany the compliance safety and health officer during the inspection.

      (4) Compliance safety and health officers may consult with employees concerning matters of occupational safety and health to the extent they deem necessary for the conduct of an effective and thorough inspection. During the course of an inspection, any employee shall be afforded an opportunity to bring any violation of KRS Chapter 338 which he has reason to believe exists in the workplace to the attention of the compliance safety and health officer.

      (5) Compliance safety and health officers are authorized to deny the right of accompaniment under this section to any person whose conduct interferes with a fair and orderly inspection. The right of accompaniment in areas containing trade secrets shall be subject to KRS 338.171. With regard to information classified by an agency of the United States Government in the interest of national security, only persons authorized to have access to such information may accompany a compliance safety and health officer in areas containing such information. (OSH 109; 1 Ky.R. 161; eff. 12-11-74.)

Notation

      RELATES TO: KRS 338.051

      STATUTORY AUTHORITY: KRS Chapter 13A

      NECESSITY, FUNCTION, AND CONFORMITY: Pursuant to the authority granted the Kentucky Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board by KRS 338.051, the following rules and administrative regulations are adopted concerning the employer and employee representatives who may accompany compliance safety and health officers during the course of the inspection.